Orbits Flashcards

1
Q

What is an orbit?

A
  • The curved path of one celestial object around another celestial object
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2
Q

Explain the orbit of the moon around the Earth

A
  • Newton’s 1st law: the moon will continue travelling in forward direction
  • Gravity from the Earth pulls the moon in
  • Gravity from the Earth is not great enough to completely pull the moon due to the moon’s mass, instead the gravity slightly changes the moons direction
  • Therefore, the moon continues in a circular orbit
  • As velocity is a vector quantity, and the moons direction is constantly chaning, the moons velocity is also constantly changing
  • As acceleration is change in velocity over time, and the velocity is constantly changing, the moon is constantly accelerating
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3
Q

What is the relationship between an objects size and speed in orbit?

A
  • The smaller an object is, the faster is must travel to stay on course
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